Star Wars Genration of Terror: the Phantom Lords
by dngn4774
Summary: Set 3 years after the events of SWTOR. The Republic has slain the emperor and is winning the Second Great Galactic War. A repetitive trend of infighting amongst the Sith has caused the Empire to lose faith in the Dark Council. Along with his apprentices and a few close colleagues, Darth Verudan intends to do away with the council and restore the Empire to it's former glory.
1. Chapter 1

15 ATC

It has been fifteen years since the Treaty of Coruscant. In that time both the Jedi and the Sith have been locked in a Cold War. Three years ago a series of events-largely provoked by the empire-sparked a Second Great Galactic War. Though the Empire had been planning to challenge the Republic, repetitive trends of infighting amongst the Sith Lords inhibited them from successfully repelling the Republic's forces. This resulted in the loss of several planetary strongholds, thus weakening the Empire's influence over the galaxy. A consecutive string of victories for the Republic caused several Sith to question the effectiveness of the Dark Council. In fact, one of the most prominent Sith Lords, Darth Verudan had already set plans to dispose of the Council permanently. Along with his acolytes and several close colleagues, Verudan would finally restore order to the Empire. 

3 ATC

Verudan first met his newest apprentice in a slaving outpost on the outskirts of Kaas City. Being that the boy was an orphaned slave; his masters felt that the effort of naming him would be trivial task. Though the slavers could not see beyond a frail child, Verudan sensed the boy's presence from the walls of the city. The young slave was brimming with force sensitivity, even more than the Sith lord at that age.

When Darth Verudan entered the slaver's camp he immediately noticed the timid Zabrak crouching in the corner. He grinned maliciously once he noticed that the slave could suppress his connection to the force. The Phantom Lord approached the boy and said "You cannot fool a Sith. Tell me slave, why do you hide your power?"

He shook in terror and hesitated to speak before one of the slavers reached for a whip "I-if I become a Sith I will be taken to another world. I didn't want to leave my friends."

Verudan nodded in understanding. "I see…you think if you stay with your friends you can help them, but I'm afraid you're actually dishonoring them."

"Dis-dishonoring them?" The slave repeated in bewilderment.

"Whether you stay here or not your friends are doomed to a life of subservience. You have a greater purpose than this—an opportunity that none of your other friends have—an opportunity some would risk dying for. The power you possess will allow you to forge your own destiny. Under my tutelage you will be a Sith Lord and one day, perhaps even a Master." The Sith Lord extended his hand and said "Join me!"

After taking Verudan's words to heart the child nudged his head. He grabbed his new master's arm and began to walk out of the base. A slaver walked over to Verudan to say "My Lord, this slave is too young to be sold!"

Verudan chuckled "What slave?" as he rose his palm over the Slaver's head "Neither this boy or I have ever been to this encampment. Any files you had on this Zabrak were just clerical errors. Understand?"

"Yes my lord!" The slaver slowly affirmed. The freed child waved to his friends before begin his journey as a Sith's acolyte.

As the two force-wielders traveled to the loading bay Verudan asked "Do you have any names I can call you besides slave?"

The Zabrak shrugged before deciding on his alias "You can call me Zavron!"

"The name of your slave camp? Very well! Then let us take our leave young Zavron." 

7 ATC

By his 14th year Zavron was trained in both the light and dark arts of the force. Though his thirst for knowledge was admirable, the true test of Zavron's skills was yet to come. During a voyage to a distant star system Darth Verudan led his pupil through the dangerous jungle world of Gamorr. It was there where the acolyte would face his trial by combat.

"I have taught you well Zavron, but there is still far more to learn. Before I can be certain you are worthy of inheriting my techniques, you must prove that you are strong enough to survive under the most vigorous conditions."

"Of course my Lord," Zavron replied. "Simply name my task and it shall be done."

"He will not be giving you tasks. I will!" An anonymous voice declared. Just then a small group of armored men emerged from the tall grass. The group kneeled before a green giant with the face of a boar and limbs as thick as trees.

Verudan cleared his voice and helped explain the situation to his student, "These men are Mandalorians and this is their Captain Nar' Grashi. He has agreed to train you in the art of war. You will not return to me until he agrees that your training is complete. Do not use any force techniques other than healing until I return!"

With those final words Darth Verudan vanished from the planet, leaving Zavron at the mercy of Nar' Grashi. For five years Zavron trained with the Mandalorians, learning to kill with almost any weapon. From the lush jungles of Gamorr to the frozen wastelands of Hoth, Zavron was trained to fight under the most unforgiving conditions, leading to his most important lesson: never surrender. Zavron fought bravely and eventually gained the the dreaded Nar' Grashi's respect. As he returned to his master, Verudan sensed that the Mandalorians had obliterated any fears that the boy once held. He was now ready for the final stage of his training. 

Present Day

Following three additional years of training, Zavron was sent to Korriban for his final test as an apprentice. He was given the coordinates to a secret bunker that Verudan had built for his own solitude. In each chamber hid a piece of a tool he would have to assemble at within the final chamber. Though the K'lor'slugs that guarded the chambers were deadly, the posed no real threat to an apprentice of Zavron's skill level. With a few strikes from his training saber Zavron cleared each room with ease.

In the last room he noticed that there weren't any creatures to slay. Instead there was only an altar with sunlight shining upon it. The opening far above the altar combined with the red dust of Korriban's geography made the long streak of sunray's look as if they were bleeding. Zavron approached the altar and laid each piece onto the forge. Using the force, he slowly levitated the pieces together to assemble a red saberstaff. He dropped the weapon into his hands and left the altar.

As soon as Zavron moved his feet off of the tiles a weight trap was triggered and all exits to the chamber closed. The room quaked in tremors as the entire altar sank through the floor. When Zavron rose to his feet he saw three K'lor'Slug Broodmothers slivering towards him. He quickly cloaked himself in the force and lunged behind them, then he pierced one of the slugs through the back killing it instantly. The second broodmother charged at the apprentice as the third prepared to hurl its venom. Zavron used a mind control to trick the advancing broodmother into tackling the other K'lor'slug, forcing it to vomit its venom on the wrong target. The sith apprentice channeled lightning into his saberstaff to dichotomize the last broodmother with a single strike. The Zabrak dusted himself off and proceeded back to his cruiser. Before entering the starship, the apprentice noticed an incoming message on his holocommunicator. Zavron answered the message as a small, blue hologram of his master greeted him. "How did it go? Did you procure what was needed?"

"Well…I'm not dead!" Zavron sarcastically replied. He raised his new weapon to the phantom to verify his triumph.

"Good! That would have made things boring. You're going to need that new toy for the true test." Verudan savored the look of frustration in his pupil's eyes before pushing even further. "What? Did you really think I'd make it that easy on you?" He snickered. "Meet me at the place where your journey first began. I'll be waiting!" 

**On Dromund Kaas**

Zavron returned to the slave encampment to acquire his master's acknowledgment of his progress, but instead he left with an unimaginable discovery. The entire camp was massacred, including the slavers, women, and children. Hundreds of dead bodies littered the field; each corps reeked of seared blood and cauterized flesh. Despite the many years spent away from the colony, Zavron remembered most of the victim's faces. Darth Verudan emerged from his apprentice's old tent and stared into the young man's eyes. Tears welled from Zavron's eyes as he asked the only question that he could process at the time. "Why?"

His mentor answered bluntly. "They were a distraction that limited you from reaching your full potential. This loss will make you a stronger Sith. You should thank me!"

"THANK YOU!?" Zavron shouted. "I'LL KILL YOU!" The prodigy roared as he prepared to slice his saberstaff through his master's chest. Before either end of the blade could touch Verudan he vanished like a ghost and reappeared behind his student. The Phantom Lord grabbed Zavron by the shoulders an channeled a massive lightning bolt through Zavron's body, into the sky. The Zabrak collapsed to the grounded but still clasped to Verudan's boots.

"Remarkable!" Darth Verudan noted. "Any of my other apprentices would have died but you continue to fight. You will make a fine Sith!" He began to heal his student and extended his hand as he did so many years ago.

Zavron smacked his lord's hand away. "You are insane!"

"Relax boy, I may have pushed you beyond your limits but I never would have considered doing this. The slaves were dead hours before I arrived here."

"Then who would do this!" The apprentice demanded to know.

"This was the work of one of my former apprentices, Lord Paros. He is the most ruthless Sith Lord on Dromund Kaas. Paros has been killing any slavers that won't pay his _protection fees_; this camp must have refused to be extorted."

Zavron quickly kneeled before his mentor. "Master if what you say is true then I owe you an apoli"-

"Nonsense!" Verudan dismissed. "By striking me you have passed the final test. Tell me Zavron, you were smart enough to know that you had no way of defeating me, so why did you attack?"

"It felt as if there was this dark wave rushing over me. It was telling me to fight back, so I did; and in that moment whether I was defeated or killed seemed irrelevant so long as I could feed that urge."

"I see…That _wave_ you described is passion. It is the truest feeling of all and the greatest weapon of all Sith. You mustn't let the passion control you, nor should you try to suppress it. It must be harnessed and used with prudence. Once you master your passion anything is possible. As a Sith your greatest ordeal will be identifying when to use rebel. The Jedi enslave themselves to the force, they restrain their power with words like _peace_ and _serenity_ but the Sith are creatures of passion; we utilize the force to free ourselves. Listen to my words apprentice for they are the words of all Sith:

**Peace is a lie, there is only passion.**

**Through passion, I gain strength.**

**Through strength, I gain power. **

**Through power, I gain victory. **

**Through****victory,****my****chains****are****broken.**

**The Force shall free me.**

You have proven yourself well Zavron from this day forward you are no longer a mere apprentice, you are now a Sith."

"It is an honor my lord."

"Your first mission is simple; eliminate Lord Paros by any means necessary."

"With pleasure master" the new Sith affirmed. Zavron rose to his feet and headed for Kaas City.

Verudan's eyes lingered off into the distance. "You can stop hiding. I know you were watching."

Suddenly, a large Sith Pureblood wielding two lightsabers appeared. This was Phantom Lord Shoust, Verudan's first apprentice. "Master Verudan" Shoust greeted, as the two Lords exchanged pleasantries.

"What do you think of your new brother?" Verudan inquired.

"He shows potential, but not enough to fight Paros alone."

"That's why I've called you here. I would like you to support Zavron in this mission, but only allow your presence to be known when it is needed."

Shoust nodded. "Your will shall be done."

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2- Sibling Rivalry

Zavron could feel the growing power of his passion, but he heeded his master's words. He knew that a direct approach would not work against this opponent, so he began to study his new foe. With the help of a few mind tricks on a select group of people, Zavron had procured enough intelligence to develop a strategy against his target.

Lord Paros was only a few years older than Zavron, but already the most powerful Sith on Dromund Kaas. This was partly because growing number of Sith were being called to the battlefronts on the Core Worlds, and also because his master assigned him full control over the planet's military forces. Though he has only been the Governor of Dromund Kaas for several weeks, Lord Paros has already proven himself to be an effective ruler. Rumors have also spread that his master might even promote him to Darthhood. Some say he has ruled with distinction, others say that he is a tyrant; regardless of which side is correct, all of his subjects fear him, except for one.

Lord Chrain has despised Paros ever since the promotion. He was insulted with being passed over, considering that he has trained with their master long before Paros ever left Verudan's side. Despite caring deeply for his master, Chrain had a few vices that made him more corrupt than most Sith. Zavron used this strife to his advantage.

He entered a cantina that was known as Chrain's favorite hangout and approached the Sith Lord at the end of the bar. Upon reaching Chrain's table, Zavron saw a light skinned Zabrak with his arms around two Twi'leks holding cards in one hand and placed stack of credits on the table with other. Two Imperial troops rose from the corners of the table, each reaching for their firearms before Chrain quickly raised his palm in interjection. The Sith Lord spotted my saberstaff and shooed his minions away. He rolled his eyes in displeasure, shortly before speaking, "What do you want boy?-and make it quick- I don't have all day!"

"I want Paros dead."

Chrain chuckled, "And I want to be Emperor, along with half of the other Sith, but that's not going to happen! He protected by my master, Darth Khalta. Face it kid, Lord Paros is untouchable on this world."

"Not if we work together!" Zavron rebutted. "I only need your help to isolate him. I can take care of the rest."

The Sith Lord smiled and was taken back by Zavron's ambition. "Another young Sith who thinks he knows everything. Perhaps, Paros has finally met his match. But tell me boy, why should I help you?"

"Because it beats brooding in a cantina," Zavron reasoned. "You hate being in Paros' shadow because he is a lesser Sith. Darth Khalta won't allow you to challenge him, but if he was gone she'd be forced to acknowledge you as her true successor. If I slay Paros I'll only be winning a battle, you'll win all of Dromund Kaas!"

Chrain sighed, "What will you need?" 

**Elsewhere, in Dromund Kaas' outer orbit:**

Darth Verudan was dressed in full battle armor as he passed through the halls of his Harrower-class Dreadnought. Once he entered his private chamber, he noticed a light flashing on his private comslink, signaling that someone was trying to contact him. Verudan answered the link and a blue hologram of Darth Marr appeared before him.

"Darth Verudan"

"Marr," the Phantom Lord responded. "What is it that you wish to discuss with me?"

"As you already know, the Emperor is either dead or dying. The Empire will need a suitable replacement." The Dark Council leader inferred.

"And you think that you can replace our Emperor so easily?" Verudan inquired.

"Do you see any better alternatives?" Darth Marr asked back. "Further struggles will only ensure our demise. We must unite ourselves to crush any enemies inside or outside of the Empire. Your allegiance to me would put an end to such trivial squabbles."

"And what shall you give me in return for my allegiance?"

"There is still an available seat on the Dark Council. I shall name you to it if you agree to serve me."

"Interesting, but I would prefer to stay outside of the Council's bureaucracy. However, I will agree to support your claim if I am allowed to choose someone to take the seat in my place."

"Very well," Marr agreed with reluctance.

"The seat will be given to…Darth Mathias."

"You dare speak of that usurper's name!" Marr roared.

"We have an agreement: If you honor this request I will obey you without question." The Phantom Lord swore.

"Tread carefully Verudan. You do not want me as an enemy." Marr concluded as he signed off.

"Foolish pawns," Verudan smirked. "You've already lost; you just don't know it yet." 

**On Dromund Kaas**

After a few hours, Zavron was prepared to eliminate his target. The Governor of Dromund Kaas had just received a detailed report, stating that a military camp was being attacked by a mob of renegade slaves. He accompanied the arriving reinforcements to aid his forces, but the base was deserted.

"Search the perimeter!" Paros ordered. They scoured for any signs of life or death but there was none.

One unlucky trooper strayed too close to the bushes and was killed with a headshot between his eyes. Immediately insurgents arose from the treeline and a wave of blasters lit up the dark forest.

"Take cover!" Paros commanded. The soldiers fired back but they were clearly outnumbered. After a few moments the aspiring Sith commander noticed that these insurgents were unusually organized. He forced pulled one of them into his lightsaber and noticed that they were wearing Imperial fatigues underneath. "Chrain" he mumbled with rage.

Half of Paros' forces were already lost before he had shed enough pride to retreat. The Governor smashed his land convoys into the insurgents and surged the vehicles with enough lightning to make them explode. He took this opportunity to lead his men back to the bridge they had entered upon. He detected another force user behind him, but only turned back after he knew his soldiers had successfully escaped. As the last of his infantry retreated he looked toward to his unknown assailant.

Zavron uncloaked himself with the force. Now, only two remained on the bridge, a young Chiss wearing radiant battle armor and an even younger Zabrak wearing a hooded Sith robe. They slowly circled one another before exchanging words.

"I must say I'm impressed," Paros acclaimed, "using that lout to get to me was a nice touch. The force is indeed strong with you, too strong for you to be one of Chrain's apprentices. So who sent you?"

"It's time for you to pay for what you've done!" Zavron diverged.

"I'm a Sith Lord boy," Paros informed him. "If I did something heinous you're going to have to be more specific."

"You butchered defenseless slaves because there masters refused to be extorted."

"You've be misinformed young Sith. Chrain was the one who extorted the slavers, so much that they started working their slaves to death. I put that camp out of its misery to let the other slavers know that Chrain couldn't protect them."

Zavron could tell that Paros was sincere. For a moment he felt as if they had met some place before, but he couldn't distract himself from his purpose. "Enough talking, it's time to settle this like true Sith!"

"So be it," Paros said, as he unsheathed his golden saberstaff. 

Paros used the force to accelerate his speed and dashed towards Zavron. Zavron force pushed with each arm, he missed Paros with the first hand but connected with the second. The large Chiss slid back and channeled lightning, just as Zavron mimicked him. Each Sith's chain of lightning tugged back and for until it dissipated to a stalemate. Zavron leaped into the air whilst drawing his saberstaff and landed into melee combat. Both Inquisitors countered and parried each other's attacks at unbelievable speeds. For few moments it appeared that Zavron had the upper hand until Paros stunned him with a mind trick. As Lord Paros waved his arms for the final strike, Zavron broke free of the mind trick with his will and blocked his opponent's attack. Their arms locked with one another, then the Zabrak headbutted the Chiss, scraping his horns against the right side of Paros' face. The Sith Lord howled in agony as he covered his mangled right eye. Zavron commenced his melee assault; the Governor's clouded vision finally gave the young Sith an opening he could use to his advantage. So much blood had poured over the Chiss' face that he was now blinded, fighting only with instinct and experience. With one slip up in Paros' form, Zavron slashed his lighsaber across the Lord's midsection, sent a force push that slammed him into the wall, and levitated a chunk of metal from the bridge that he had smashed into his foe's chest.

Paros struggled for breath and tried to crawl to his saberstaff. Zavron blasted his adversary with lightning before saying, "It's over Paros."

The Chiss smiled and pulled himself up to his knees. "The way you move is the same way I was trained to move, but with even more passion. So Darth Verudan is behind this…it all makes sense now. Look, whatever decisions I made were made for the greater good of the Empire. Think about your actions! If you end my life Chrain takes over Dromund Kaas. Is killing me what's truly best for the Empire?"

"What are you proposing?" Zavron inquired.

"Defy the Phantom and join us. Darth Khalta wishes to end slavery throughout the entire Empire. Can't you see that your master is using you? Verudan is indifferent to any suffering that isn't his own. He doesn't care about the slaves like we do!"

As Paros spoke he removed a gauntlet showing the former slave a marking. Zavron recognized the family crest, it was a part of a settlement his slave camp built for a noble family of Chiss. Each day the Chiss would come to the camp to give the slaves food and clothing. They also prohibited the slavers from torturing the slaves in their presence. Zavron recognized the boy as one of the kind nobles.

Paros continued his plea, "Just let me escape and I'll return to Darth Khalta. You can even take my lightsaber as evidence of my demise."

"I'm sorry," Zavron confessed, whilst tightening the grip of his saberstaff. Before the Phantom's apprentice could say anything else bolt blasted between Lord Paros' eyes. He was killed instantly with a perfect headshot. Zavron quickly entered a defensive stance and tried to detect the shooter. He spotted a hooded sniper vanish off into the distance where Paros' soldiers had escaped. The apprentice picked up Paros' saberstaff then left. 

Zavron headed to the space station but paused at his personal cruiser. He heard faint noises coming from his ship, followed by a cacophony of blaster fire. The Sith entered his id code on the hatch, stepped back and crackled sparks between his fingertips. Once the hatch opened up, four of Chrain's men rolled out of the ship, each already dead. A female Sith Pureblood moved to the top of the ramp with two lighsabers drawn.

Zavron now surged lightning through each arm, "What is the meaning of this?"

"Settle down!" She gnarled. "I am Lord Mugen Shoust. I was sent our master to offer support. The other Zabrak sent these men to slay you."

Zavron grinded his teeth, "Chrain!"-

"Will pay for his betrayal soon," Shoust affirmed, "but for now, Darth Verudan has summoned us."

Zavron nodded to his superior Lord before travelling back to his master's starship. 

Both of Darth Verudan's apprentices had entered his chamber. Zavron kneeled to his master and presented Paros' lightsaber. "Keep it," Verudan ordered, "let it commemorate your victory. Now leave us."

"Yes my lord," Zavron raised to his feet and exited the room.

As soon as the door closed Verudan asked, "How did he do?"

"He defeated Paros, but was offered an alliance to Khalta. An unknown agent terminated the target before he could answer." Lord Shoust reported.

"Would he have finished it if there were no interruptions?"

"Yes, he would have."

"Good, onto other matters then. Darth Marr approached me as we anticipated he even asked me to name an ally to the Dark Council. I chose Mathias."

Mugen furrowed her brow. "I'm afraid I don't follow master."

"Then allow me to elucidate, once Darth Sifertion hears of Mathias' promotion he will suspect that I am working with the usurper and try to eliminate him. He was going to have to retaliate for my attack on Khalta's apprentice anyway. While Sifertion and Mathias bicker for power, I'll have time to weaken Marr."

"Where should we start?" Shoust asked.

"Darth Nox is Marr's most powerful ally on the Council." Verudan noted. "If I can persuade him to join me instead, it would eviscerate Marr's claim. Go to Korriban on my behalf and speak with Nox. I have to aid Zavron with another mission. Oh and be sure to finish what we started on Dromund Kass." Verudan concluded.

"Very well, master."

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3- Tarkona

As predicted, after word spread of Paros' death, Lord Chrain was now next in line to become the new Governor of Dromund Kaas. Unlike his predecessor, Chrain made no effort to strengthen Dromund Kaas' military. In fact, in the short time since Paros' death, the ground forces had already lost more outposts to the Revanites and Rebel slaves. Despite having a new office, the Sith Lord preferred to resume his stay at the local cantina. While celebrating his upcoming promotion Chrain had met an exquisite young Twi'lek who seemed destined to cross his path that night.

The Twi'lek was Rutian with skin as blue as the ocean. The coolness of her skin pigment was only exceeded by the look of her eyes. Staring into such pearls could make any man feel lost at sea. Her long lekku (head tails) ran down, from the base of her skull down to her hips, after coiling around her soft orbits. This Rutian wore a skin tight leather outfit which left just enough skin exposed to reveal a fine tattoo protruding from her waistband.

As soon as she entered the cantina with a red droid, she borrowed enough credits from the bartender to play a few hands. After that she walked towards the Governor's table to entertain the new man of the hour.

"Is this table full?" The young woman inquired.

He waved off his guards, "It appears we've just had an opening. Take a seat beautiful."

She sat down and admired her surroundings. Several days ago the cantina was an open cesspool for Kaas City's filth, in the wake of Paros' death it was now a palace in its own right.

"What is your name?"

"Close acquaintances call me Tarkona."

"Tarkona…I like that. It's so exquisitely exotic. Well tell me Tarkona, what brings you to my city, business…or perhaps pleasure?" Chrain asked. He ran eyes up and down the young beauty, whilst slowly licking his lips.

"Can't it be both?" She bantered back, with a flirtatious grin.

Chrain's eyes shifted off of the woman's lips back to her cold gaze. "That's not much of an answer."

"Fine, then let's play for it." Tarkona picked up the deck of cards from the table and shuffled. "If you win I'll have to obey your orders for the entire night, but if I win you have to one of my orders. Sound fair?"

"Agreed."

For a while, Lord Chrain had won almost every single had. Eventually Chrain grew bored with the game an sought to end it early. Both players went all in even though the Sith Lord held most of the pot. On the last hand Tarkona luckily received the card she needed to win.

"Hmm, I don't suppose you'll go two out of three?" Asked Chrain

"Not a chance."

"Despite what you might hear I am a man of my word. Name your request."

"It's simple really; you just need to listen to my story. Have you ever heard _the Legend of Tarkona_?

The Sith Lord shook his head.

"I didn't think so," the Rutian noted, "it's only really popular on the Twi'lek homeworld. Well anyway, Ryloth once had a king whose name was lost through time. As a prince he desired to build the most powerful kingdom in the galaxy. Upon his coronation as king he was met with a secret messenger of the gods. The messenger offered him a gift so long as he agreed to obey the gods teachings. When he accepted it he was given the power to see into the future of others. It is said that the messenger warned the King of a prophecy: he would form the greatest kingdom in Ryloth's history, but his life would be cut short at the hands of a fool. With those words the messenger vanished, never to be seen by the King again.

The King used his newfound power to vanquish his enemies. To commemorate his victories, he would have his servants build a throne in his honor. Soon the messenger's words dwelled upon him. To protect himself, the King passed edicts to separate himself from the commoners. As the King's fame grew both his fear and paranoia intensified. Eventually the King used his power against his own subjects, slaughtering any who disagreed with him or would betray him in the future. When the bloodshed was over, the King concerned himself solely on finishing his throne. Though his Kingdom was now fueled by misery, it was as great an empire as the messenger had promised it to be.

When the throne was completed it was rumored to be large enough to touch the heavens. The King had hosted a celebration to take note of his accomplishments. The Gods were infuriated with the way that the King had abused his power. On the day of the celebration they sent a storm to reclaim all that they had given to the King. In a single night the Kingdom had lost his gift, his armies, his throne, and even his life. Lastly, the storm robbed the King of his name which is why he is only remembered as the Fool of Ryloth. Since then, Tarkona has become the Twi'leki word for both _Storm_ and _Judgment_."

Lord Chrain sighed with boredom, "And what was the point of this fable?"

The Twi'lek briefly scowled in disappointment. "Some say it's about treating underlings with respect or never fighting against fate but I've always thought of this tale as a lesson in humility."

Chrain cackled "Humility! You savages are so simple minded. I'm a Sith darling, humility means nothing to me."

"I figured as much. That's why my droid has just hacked your seat." Instantly, the fuses in Lord Chrain's seat overloaded with electricity. Tarkona took advantage of his paralyzed state and pulled out a blaster hidden within her droid. With a final headshot the Sith Lord was finished.

While taking her credits from the table, Chrain's troops rushed into the room. "XD-40 terminate all hostiles!" The tiny red droid transformed into a fully armed assassin droid and mowed down the incoming soldiers with a wave of rapid blaster fire. The Twi'lek and her droid snuck out of the cantina along with the other members of the panicked crowd.

After a successful mission on Dromund Kass, Zavron was awarded with his master's old personal cruiser, the Ebb Tide. The apprentice was sent near Belsavis to await further orders. Upon arriving near the Republic's prisonworld Zavron contacted Darth Verudan via holocommunicator.

"I've arrived master."

"Good! Your mission is to restore Imperial Intelligence to its former glory. To do that we will have to locate one of the Empire's greatest operatives, Cipher Nine."

"Where can I find him?"

Verudan smirked "If you could find him he wouldn't be very good at his job. Cipher Nine has gone rouge ever since the rise of Sith Intelligence, the man's a ghost, if he even is a man. Luckily for us, a member of his old crew was arrested by the Republic and is being transferred to the MaxSec (maximum security) as we speak. Her name is Kaliyo Djannis, she's extremely dangerous and manipulative. Kaliyo maybe the only person who knows Nine's true identity, it is paramount that we find her first, before Sith Intelligence extracts her."

"She shall be yours." Zavron concluded.

**On Korriban:**

Lord Shoust paced toward the Sith temple when her holo rang. A blue hologram of a Twi'lek appeared. "Tarkona, how did things go on Dromund Kaas?"

"Smoothly Shoust. It turns out Chrain couldn't ride the storm, he won't be troubling you again."

"Excellent! Meet me back aboard my ship when you can."

"Sure thing, Tarkona out!"

Shoust collapsed the communicator and entered Darth Nox's private chambers. She approached the office and saw Nox nodding at a large Sith in heavy black armour. The massive figure needed no introduction, he was known as the Emperor's Wrath. This one of the most powerful Sith in generations and commanded more respect and fear than any single member of the Dark Council. The Wrath left the room as Nox beckoned the younger Sith to come forward.

Shoust bowed before speaking. "I've come on behalf of my master Darth Verudan."

"I already know what you've come to ask me, but I refuse to answer. These petty alliances will not shield us from the Hutts or the Republic. I won't swear loyalty to any more Sith until this war is fought."

"My master shares your views" Shoust assured him, "which is why he has sent me to act in your interests on the war effort."

"I see, then perhaps you can be of use." Nox hinted.

"It would be my honor to assist in any way."

Darth Nox used the force to open a lockbox in the corner of the room. He pulled a datapad out of the box and gave it to Lord Shoust. "This is a list of targets the Wrath of I have developed. Each of names in those files belong to some of the Empire's most dangerous threats. Clearing the list will not only earn my support for your master, it will make you a Darth. Go forth and strengthen our Empire."

Lord Shoust grinned with anticipation "Consider it done."

To Be Continued…


End file.
